11-year-old attacked by raccoon in Vt.

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KIRBY, Vt. -- An 11-year-old girl was playing in the woods in Vermont when she says she, her brother and her friend were attacked by a raccoon.

Irie Campbell and her friend Piper were hanging out with Irie’s 5-year-old brother behind Piper’s home in Kirby around noon one weekday when the play date took a frightening turn.

“My brother was standing right over there in that area and then all of a sudden he started to scream and run up the hill,” Irie said.

The kids say a hissing raccoon appeared out of nowhere and went straight for Irie -- jumping right for her face.

“And so I put my hands up to my face like this,” Irie said. “And then it grabs onto my thumb. I started to choke it with my left hand and then it started to fall off and then it grabbed a hold of me right here.”

Irie says she then starting choking the animal with both hands before it jumped again and bit her hand.

The raccoon eventually let go and ran into the woods after Irie’s friend, Piper, hit it several times with a stick.

Irie was taken to an emergency room to be treated for possible rabies exposure.